


Battle Codes

by TheonnaQueen



Series: Pilots & Spies [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 15:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30040890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheonnaQueen/pseuds/TheonnaQueen
Summary: The stability and belonging Alys has found with the Rebellion was never destined to last long. Are the sacrifices worth it for the greater good?Excerpt:Toby coughed and reached up to rest his hand on her cheek. “Alys, listen to me. You have to go. They’re going to send someone to check the wreckage and you can’t be here. Get those codes to the Rebellion.”She leaned into his touch, shaking her head. “No, please,” she pleaded. “We’ll figure something out.”“Alys. I’m sorry. I know how much you have already lost.” He stopped to cough and winced in pain. “But getting those codes to the Rebellion will save lives. You have to go.”
Series: Pilots & Spies [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175513





	Battle Codes

**Author's Note:**

> Dramatis Personae:  
>  _Intelligence Agents, Alliance to Restore the Republic (Rebellion):_  
>  Alys Esme, Human Female  
> Zilka Darkmoon, Human Female  
> Toby, Bothan Male
> 
> Jayms Rook, Human male, Alliance y-wing pilot

Imperial Compound, 5 ABY

The rumor of a planned strike against the Imperials had the flight deck of the _Nautilian_ more chaotic than usual but it was exactly what she needed. Alys crouched between the support pylons of a red striped y-wing, plotting a course to the transport near the hangar door. It was small enough that she thought she could handle it and hopefully it wouldn’t be missed. This would be just like all those times she took food from the market stalls on Myrra - just act like she belonged and had every right to take it - no one would pay her any mind.

“Al’ika,” a voice called out when she was three quarters of the way to the ship. 

Putting on a smile, she turned to find Jayms jogging towards her in his orange flight suit.

He took one look at her and asked. “Are you okay?”

“Toby hasn’t checked in and it’s been twelve hours.” 

He gathered her up in his arms, letting her cling to him, and made soothing noises. 

Toby was her partner. He had taken her under his wing when she first joined the Rebellion and despite their fifteen year age difference, they made a good team. Much to Alys’s chagrin, he had been sent alone to infiltrate an Imperial base and steal their battle code. These codes gave the prescribed movements of star destroyers and formations of their TIE squadrons. Having access to them could prevent a major battle from happening; either by avoiding it completely or setting an ambush. But something must have happened, it wasn’t like him to not check in. She had tried to convince Command that something was wrong and he needed help but they wouldn't listen, said it was normal, and any number of things could cause delays. Alys was done waiting. 

“What are you doing on the flight deck?” Jayms asked, lips brushing the shell of her ear. 

“It’s better if you don’t know too much,” she said and pulled away from his embrace. 

Putting his hands on her shoulders, he held her at arm’s length, searching her features. He took a slow look around the hanger and nodded. “Right. You’re going to need a droid - one that can help you pilot. Wait here.” 

Alys smiled, he always looked out for her, and watched him speak to several Abednedo technicians. A scuffed green and black R2 astromech followed him back to where she was waiting. 

“This little one’s master,” he gestured to the droid, “is currently in the Medbay and shouldn’t be cleared to fly for another couple of days. No one will miss it and -”

The droid whistled several times.

“And is more than happy to pilot any ship that I choose,” Alys translated the droid’s binary. 

“Right.” Jayms nodded and suddenly squeezed her into a hug again. “I’m going to turn around and pretend I never saw you.” He tightened his grip on her and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Be careful and come back to me.”

A lump formed in her throat, preventing the words from escaping. She could only squeeze him back before turning away. She crossed the deck in strong, sure steps and walked up the ramp to the waiting transport.

The droid bumped into the back of her legs at her sudden stop. Leaning against the pilot’s seat was a tall, dark skinned woman with deep blue hair, just starting to show streaks of grey. 

“Agent Esme,” the woman said.

“Zilka please, I have to go,” Alys pleaded. “Something happened. I should have been with him.”

The older woman crossed the small transport in three steps. She gently tucked a stray hair behind Alys’s ear. “I know,” she sighed, “that’s why I got Mon Mothma to authorize a second mission.”

Alys looked up at her with wide eyes.

“Those battle codes are of the utmost importance.” She stroked Alys’s cheek. “I still think you are too young and inexperienced to go alone but I knew there would be no stopping you.” Glancing down, she noticed the R2 unit. “I’m glad you found a droid, there might be some tricky flying to get you to the surface and into the compound.”

Alys lurched forward and wrapped her arms around the other woman’s waist.

Zilka sighed and patted Alys on the back. “Be as careful as you can and bring those codes back.”

“Yes ma’am,” Alys said, pulling away.

“And may the Force be with you,” Zilka said as she walked down the ramp.

****

Wiping the rain from the lenses, Alys peered through the macrobinoculars again. The Imperial compound didn’t look any different from the others she had seen. They didn’t get any points for creativity. 

She had left the droid and the transport about a klick away behind a copse of trees covered in vines. The droid argued about putting it somewhere more hidden but she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get it out again. 

Finally, she found what she was searching for, a small vent for the environmental controls, and, she tsked, when would these Imperials learn to cut the branches away from the walls of their compounds? It gave her the perfect access point and hopefully with the rain and foliage she would be hidden.

The rain made the climb trickier than she anticipated and there was a scary moment where she was hanging, exposed, over the compound wall but she managed to wriggle back on top of the branch before the next stormtrooper patrol passed. Laying there, huddled in her all-weather poncho, fingers clutching the branch, she thought maybe Zilka was right, maybe she was too inexperienced. Shaking the rain from her eyes and waiting for her heart to stop pounding, she decided she had made it this far and she wasn’t going to leave without Toby.

Finally, reaching the vent and carefully pulling the multitool from her pack, she began unscrewing the cover. A screw slipped through her fingers and clinked to the ground, catching the attention of a stormtrooper. She froze, holding her breath, praying she was hidden enough to avoid detection but the trooper never looked up, just kicked at the mud and giving up when he didn't find anything. The breath left her in a whoosh and she counted to twenty before continuing.

Easing into the vent, she squeezed the moisture from the poncho and stuffed it into the pack. Crouching to move through the cramped space, she swung the pack around to rest against her chest. She didn’t have good intel on the layout of the compound and took a guess at the direction when she came to a junction. The noises on the other side of the thin durasteel were starting to fade away and she almost turned around but the Force must be watching over her because the duct ended in a vent that overlooked a darkened room with several data terminal stations. The perfect place to find those battle codes.

Gingerly lowering herself into the room, she crossed on silent toes to a terminal. It took a long minute to power on and she couldn’t stop herself from glancing towards the door every few seconds.

The flashing cursor for the login screen didn't deter her for long. Wedging herself between the wall and the terminal, she used her vibroblade to expose the internal circuitry of the machine. Staring at the tangled mess of wires she started to panic a little, Toby usually talked her through this part. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to recall all the other times they had done this. The blade was poised to cut through a wire when she stopped and blushed. The first step was to get your datapad ready, there was only a brief time to connect the wires to the new device before the security settings were tipped. Double checking to make sure she had everything ready, she took a deep breath and started again. Moving more on sense memory than thinking, she had her datapad hot wired into the terminal in no time at all.

It made a soft pinging noise when she sliced into their network. Smiling, she began downloading the battle codes but she wasn’t done with this mission. While the transfer was happening, she found the compound schematics and marked the detention center. She was trying to puzzle out her location when the datapad pinged again, the transfer complete. A sharp yank broke the connection. It was impossible to make it look like nothing had been done but she hoped she would be long gone before anyone noticed. 

It would have been easier to navigate had she not returned to the duct but she didn’t want to risk being that exposed. She brought up the schematics again and puzzled out the best route to the detention center. Toby had to be there and it gave her a destination instead of crawling blindly through the ducts.

Moving carefully, she made her way through the ducts, hoping to go unnoticed, they wouldn’t provide any protection from a blaster shot. She kept peeking through vents, frantically looking for other escape routes, there was no way Toby would fit in here.

She froze. Those were definitely voices, and a quick glance at the datapad told her the detention center was only another three meters ahead. She held her breath, listening for any mention of her partner.

“...I’m glad Velus isn’t interrogating me,” a deep voice said.

“Yeah, ISB really freaks me out,” an oily voice said.

“That’s what the stupid Reb get. Think he could just waltz in here and take our battle codes,” a third voice said.

“I’m not sure how anyone could have survived that. I don’t think the poor guy is going to make it through another session,” the first voice said. 

Alys’s heart slammed against her ribcage. Imperial Security Bureau was bad news. They were responsible for making sure everyone stayed loyal to the Empire, at all costs. ISB agents were ruthless and frequently used torture to get the information they need. She didn’t know how she would get Toby out if he was injured as bad as it sounded. 

Okay, okay, calm down, she told herself. Think of what Zilka taught you. 

Step one: Observe.

She eased herself further down the duct, hoping that the next opening would give her a vantage point to see the prisoner cells and got lucky. The detention center was the standard circular shape. Using her macrobinoculars to read the information on the data terminal in the center of the room, she noted only one cell was occupied but she couldn’t see who was in it; the occupied cell must be directly beneath her. It had to be Toby.

Step two: Assess.

She could see the override for the cell doors was easily accessible. They were more worried about keeping people in. She wished she could see Toby to judge if he could move and decided to try calling to him. It took several tries before she got a response.

“Alys?” Toby whispered. “What are you doing here? You need to get out.”

“I’m going to get you out. Do you think you’ll be able to run?”

It took a long minute before he answered. “Well they didn’t break my legs.” He heaved a sigh that sounded painful. “Alys, you have to get out of here. Complete the mission. That is more important than any one person.”

She shook her head violently. “No. I’m going to figure this out. Just be ready.”

Step three: Plan.

She eased herself back down the duct and consulted the schematics. All she had to do was create a distraction to draw the officers away from their post. She could then release Toby. They just had to get outside and then she could comm R2 to bring the transport. They should be home free then.

Rummaging through her pack, she pulled out the small explosive devices. One should be enough to set off the sensors and send the officers scrambling but hopefully not cause enough damage to put the whole compound on alert. 

Crawling back to the opening, she unscrewed the cover and whispered to Toby. “Get ready.” 

She moved back along the duct to a room on the opposite side of the detention center and tossed the explosive in. She didn't wait for it to go off but quickly crawled back towards Toby. 

Swinging down from the duct, she crossed the room to slap at the console to open all of the cell doors. Turning she finally saw him. He was curled in on himself, cradling an arm. She suspected he had broken ribs but the most alarming was all the blood matted in his blond fur. His left eye was swollen shut and his nose was obviously broken. They would have to deal with that when they got to the transport. 

She ran to him and put his good arm around her shoulders. He leaned heavily on her as they started down the corridor. An exterior door appeared and a surge of relief flooded her before the heavy tread of boots sounded from behind them. 

Alys reached for her blaster and was turning to fire a shot when a whip laced across her back. She screamed in pain as her arm went numb and she dropped both the blaster and Toby. Luckily, she always used her vibroblade in her off hand and threw it towards the stormtrooper holding the whip. It lodged in the gap between his helmet and chest plate and he went down with a sickening gurgle, blood marring the crisp white of his armor. 

Toby had managed to get his good hand around the fallen blaster and was returning fire, holding off the other stormtrooper from his position on the floor. Alys hurried to help him stand and they backed into an open doorway.

“Alys!” Toby said, voice tight with pain. “I'm going to hold them off. You have to get out of here. The mission is more important.”

“No,” she pleaded. “We can both get out.”

She frantically searched the room for an exit but couldn't find one. “R2,” she opened the comm, “I need you to bring the transport to my location.”

Several confused beeps were returned. 

“Don't worry. I'm going to make an exit.”

She set her remaining charges against the outside wall and helped Toby to the far corner. A stormtrooper was cautiously entering the room when the wall exploded, sending him flying into the corridor. Alys was momentarily deafened but she could see their transport with the ramp lowered through the blast hole. She dragged Toby towards it and they were so close when a blaster shot rang out and he toppled over with a cry, grasping the hole in his knee. 

“Agent Esme!” He shouted through the pain. “Get out of here. That's an order.”

“No! Not without you!” She screamed back and dragged him up the ramp. 

“R2! Get us off the ground!” She screamed as more laser blasts pinged off the hull. 

Dragging Toby further into the transport, she turned back to close the ramp and saw the streak of a surface-to-air missile headed in their direction. She tried to scream for R2 to go faster but the words never left her mouth. The missile sliced through the hull and the whole ship started to break apart. 

She was thrown through the opening created by the missile when the transport slammed into the surface. A piece of twisted durasteel sliced open her arm and the air was knocked from her lungs but considering the violence of the crash, she was mostly okay. She had to find Toby. They could still get away. 

Climbing back into the now on fire transport, she tossed aside pieces of the ship, ignoring the stinging in her fingers from the heated durasteel. She finally found him, pinned under a large section of the engine that had broken into the cabin.

“Alys,” Toby choked out. “Listen to me. You have to get those codes to the Rebellion. That is your mission.”

“No. No. I’m going to get you free.” She shoved at the engine but stopped when he screamed in pain. “I’ll get R2 to help-” The words died on her lips. The small droid was in pieces, its domed head cracked in two.

Toby coughed and reached up to rest his hand on her cheek. “Alys, listen to me. You have to go. They’re going to send someone to check the wreckage and you can’t be here. Get those codes to the Rebellion.” 

She leaned into his touch, shaking her head. “No, please,” she pleaded. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Alys. I’m sorry. I know how much you have already lost.” He stopped to cough and winced in pain. “But getting those codes to the Rebellion will save lives. You have to go.”

She stared at him for a long minute before picking her way towards the cockpit. She was going to need the communicator antenna from R2 to boost her comm signal to get a message to the _Nautilian_. Her arm was still bleeding, making things slippery, but she couldn’t stop now, and she managed to wrestle the antenna free. Finding her pack and blaster among the wreckage she secured them against her body and knelt next to Toby again. “I’m sorry. I should have been with you from the start then none of this would have happened. I tried to get them to listen but they wouldn’t let me come any sooner.”

He shushed her and squeezed her hand weakly. “Alys you have to go. You are going to be an amazing agent - you already are - and I am proud to have served with you. Now go and may the Force be with you.” 

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she squeezed his hand hard and walked, knowing that if she looked back she wouldn’t leave and they both wouldn’t make it off-world. 

Once she was clear from the wreckage she took off at a run for the edge of the forest, needing to get somewhere less exposed. It was still raining and she fell several times on the slick grass. Turning when she finally reached the treeline, she spotted a squadron of stormtroopers fanning out across the field, headed towards the transport. 

She moved deeper into the forest before finding a tree to climb and working her way up through the branches. Wedging herself into a secure spot, she pulled out the poncho, ripping a strip off the bottom to staunch the blood still flowing from her arm before pulling it over her head to provide some protection from the rain. That settled, she gazed through the macrobinoculars towards the wreckage and flinched when she saw the flash of two blaster bolts in the transport and pressed a hand to her mouth to stop the scream from escaping. 

Gazing back through the macros, she noticed several stormtroopers break off from the group and head towards the forest. Hurriedly, she put away the macros, they were too reflective and might give away her location. The trick was to stay hidden but not to be completely still, move with the natural movement of the foliage. It’s how she always avoided Uncle’s detection. She held her breath, gently swaying with the branches, as the stormtroopers passed right under her tree. She wondered if they could find her by the heat signature but when they didn’t look up and eventually gave up the search, she breathed a sigh of relief. 

She waited until all of the stormtroopers returned to the compound to pull out the droid parts. It took almost forty minutes before she finally had a working long range communicator cobbled together from her comm, the droid’s antenna, and the power cell from her blaster. She wouldn’t be able to receive transmissions but she could send. She began tapping two wires together, sending her coordinates, codename, and mission success, in Dadita, to all Rebellion frequencies. She continued tapping the same message over and over and over, not stopping, not even when the chill from the rain set in and she started to shake. Someone had to be listening. Someone had to come for her. She was going to keep broadcasting until she ran out of power.

****

Almost twelve hours later, Alys crawled into her bunk on the _Nautilian_. After arriving back on the starcruiser, she endured hours of debrief and a stop in the medbay before they released her but she didn’t think she would sleep. She wrapped her arms tightly around the pillow, trying to stop the scream that was threatening to escape, going over and over the ways the mission could have gone differently, ways that Toby would still be here. The people in the bunks around her probably thought she was crying but she was too angry to cry. 

“Hey,” Jayms said softly and slid under the covers next to her. 

She rolled to face him and he wiggled until her head was tucked under his chin. 

“You’re okay now,” he said. Feeling the tremors in her body he gently stroked her back. He made soothing sounds when she could only get out a noise of distress and tucked her face more fully into his neck. “I’m sorry about Toby but I’m glad you made it back. I don’t know what I would do without you. We’ll always be there for each other, no matter what,” he whispered and continued soothing her. 

It took a long time before she felt the tension leave her body. This was the only place she had ever felt safe, wrapped up in Jayms’s embrace. She was glad she had finally found someone that cared whether she made it back or not, someone that maybe loved her. She was now more determined than ever to take down the Empire, they had taken so much from her but never again.

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in a Happy AU of the sequel trilogy with of the original trilogy and Star Wars legends included.
> 
> Since this is AU, here are some minor changes, mostly to the Sequel Trilogy events, using information from Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka. Instead of Lieutenant Muran dying when his starfighter is caught in the Yissiria Zyde's hyperspace wave he is only injured. This still results in Rapier Squad (with Muran) leaving the Republic to join the Resistance.
> 
> Events of The Last Jedi are also altered. The Resistance manages to evacuate D'Qar without losing the bombers and most of the starfleet. They are caught by the First Order over Crait. The bridge is still attacked but not as bad. This means Leia and Ackbar are badly injured but live and Holdo is put in temporary command. Poe still tries to mutiny and they do get into the escape pods but instead of using the Holdo Maneuver on the Supremacy, she rams the ship to disable it and give time for The Echo of Hope (the starcruiser mentioned in Before the Awakening) to reenforce them. Everyone lives and manages to escape Crait.
> 
> Events of The Rise of Skywalker are only altered to allow Snap Wexley, Leia, and almost everyone to survive the Battle of Exegol.


End file.
